Label pasting and lifting apparatus



`0t.11,1938. RARNDT 2,133,239

LABEL PASTING AND LIFTING APPARATUS Filed June 11, 1935 A TTORNE YS.

Patented oct. 11, 193s 2,133,239

UNITED STATES PATENT oFF1cE-T LABEL PASTING AND LIFTINGr APPARATUS PaulArndt, Los Angeles, Calif. Application June 11, 1935, Serial No. 25,993

22 claims. (o1. 21e-54) This invention relates to improvements in apmyinvention; but it is to be understood that` A paratus for applyingadhesive material to labels this description is not to be taken in alimiting and positioning them preparatory to their applisense, since thescope of the invention is best cation upon the articles to be labeled.dened in the appended claims. It is an object of the present inventionto pro- In the drawing:

vide means mounted for movement upon a label Figure 1 is a rearperspective View of a label for applying a coating of adhesive materialpasting and lifting apparatus constructed in thereto and to lift saidlabel into label removing accordance with the present invention.

position by virtue of its adherence to said adhe- Figure 2 is an endview thereof.

sive applicator; to provide such means for lift- Figure 3 is alongitudinal sectional viewtaken 10 ing one label at a time from a stackand posias indicated by line 3 3 of Figure 2. l tioning it for manualremoval and application Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary bottom uponan article; and to further provide means plan view taken as indicated byline 4--4 of Figfor insuring against the removal of more than ure 2, and

l5 one label at a time from the stack of labels. Figure 5 is an enlargedfragmentary' view 15 Another object of the invention is to provide inshowing the path of movement` assumed by the combination with a labelpasting and lifting adhesive applying members for assuring the redeviceof the character referred to, a supporting moval of one label only at atime from the label runway for moving the articles into and out ofstack. Y

r label applying position; to provide -means for Referring more-inparticular to the drawing, 22() automatically moving the paste containerinto atable I0 is shown supported by legs II. Rails I2 label engagingposition upon movement of an and I3 extend across the table front andprovide article away from label applying position; to proa track for thearticles to be labeled, which in vide means for automatically admittingan article the present instance are shown as being annular into labelapplying position as an article moves containers. Supported on the tablebehind the 25 therefrom; to further provide means for simultrack is astack of labels I4 with theirbacks taneously admitting an article tolabel applying facing upwardly. Y position and operating said pastecontainer; and A feature of the invention resides in applito stillfurther provide means supported in the cants novel means of applyingadhesive material path of said articles, which is adapted to be acted tothe labels and lifting them to a positionwhere ,30 upon thereby forcausing the movement of said they can be conveniently removed manuallyby adhesive applicator or container into label enan operator standing infront of the track, for gaging position. applying them to thecontainers. In the form of Another object of the invention is theprovithe invention shown in the drawing andheresion of-spaced pastecontainers supportedfor inafter described, the labels are lifted bythef35 movement onto the marginal edges of a label, marginal ends, alongwhich the adhesive matethere being means for supplying their labelenrial is applied in a manner hereinafter fully gaging surfaces withadhesive material, whereby described.

to apply a coating of adhesive material to the Referring particularly toFigure l, a frame is label edges and lift it thereby to label removingshown comprising front and back members I5 40 position. I6 respectively,connected by end members I-I A still further object of the invention isto proand I8. The frame is pivotally supported at opvide a simple andeicient apparatus of the charposite ends to upright supports I9 and 20asV by acter referred to which may be operated with bolts 2l, shownclearest in Figure 4. The end I'I great rapidity and which willconsistently move of .the vframe has a portion 22 which extends 45 onelabel only at a time into position for` manual lover the labels andforms a supporting arm for removal and application upon an article. apaste container 23V. A, second arm 24 extends This invention possessesmany other advanoutwardly from the frame end I8 in parallel retages andhas other objects which may be made lationship to the arm 22 andcarriesa paste conmore easily apparent from a consideration of onetainer 25 thereon. In order to make possible the 50 embodiment thereof.For this purpose I have handling ofvlabels of different lengths, I show`shown one form in the accompanying drawing the arm 24 together with itspaste container 25 and forming part of the Vpresent specification. asbeing adjustable relative to the arm 22fand its I shall now proceed todescribe this form in depaste container 23.k The arm 24 is formed withtail, which illustrates the general principles of an inwardly extendingportion 26 which is se- 55 I bers.

cured to the front frame member I5 as by bolts 2'I and wing nuts 28. Aseries of openings 29 in the frame member I5 permits for theadjustability of the arm 24 thereon.

The paste containers 23 and 25 are similar in construction and are openat their top with a plurality of small capillary outlet openings formedin their bottom as shown clearest in Figures 2 and 4. Applicant prefersto use a thick viscous. paste which bleeds or oozes through said outletopenings, forming a coating on the bottom of the paste containers. Whenthe containers are moved into engagement with the marginal,

ends of the uppermost label said label adheres to the adhesive surfacesof the containers and is lifted into a convenient position where it maybe manually removed and applied to an article.

The paste containers 23 and 25 are pivotally mounted on their respectivesupporting arms 22 and 24 in a similar manner, shown clearest in Figure4. Stub shafts 3l are secured to the paste containers and extend throughtheir supporting arms. They carry wing nuts 32 on their ends with coilspring members 33 interposed between said wing nuts and the supportingarms, whereby the frictional engagement between the paste containers andtheir supporting arms can be varied through the adjustment of. the wingnuts. Each time a label is removed, the height of the label stack is ofcourse reduced and it will be clear how one end of the paste containerswill rst engage the uppermost label. 'Through the frictional pivotheretofore described, the paste containers are permitted toautomatically adjust themselves upon the marginal ends of the labels. Aplurality of holes 34 are provided in the supporting arms 22 and 24 formaking possible the interchanging of paste containers to care for labelsof different widths. For purposes of production it is desirable to raisethe various sized labels to the same label removing position. This isaccomplished by maintaining the forward edge of. the paste containers inthe same position regardless of their length.

Paste hoppers 35 and 36 are provided for feeding paste to the respectivepaste containers 23 and 25, over which they are supported by brackets3T, secured to the upright supports I9 and 20 by bolts 36. As shownclearest in Figure 2, a sliding valve 39 is provided at the mouth ofeach hopper for controlling the admittance of paste to said pastecontainers. A member 40 connecting the upper end of the uprights I9 and20 is provided with a series of openings 40a corresponding to those inthe front member I5 of the pivotally mounted frame, whereby to permit acorresponding adjustment of the hopper 36 with the paste container 25.

Y The means employed by applicant for moving the paste containers intoengagement with the label ends, is adapted to be operated by themovement of a labeled container after it has been released by theoperator and permitted to roll down the inclined track. A shaft 4I isjournaled in bearings 42 mounted-on the table legs I I. One end of theshaft extends through its bearing and carries an arm 43, which isconnected with the back member I6 of the pivoted frame through a rod 44which is pivotally connected to said mem- The opposite end of the shaft4| carries an inclined arm 45 which extends upwardly between the railsI2 and I3 in the path of the labeled articles, one of which is shown inFigures 1 and 3 as being about to` engage the arm 45. The arm isdepressed as the article moves .mounted on the underside of the tableIt.

over its projecting end, and the paste containers are swung downwardlyinto engagement with the uppermost label which adheres thereto. Afterthe article has passed over the extended portion of the arm, the pastecontainers together with the label are raised to label removing positionby coil springs 46, which connect the rear member I6 of the pivotedframe to the table, as

shown in Figures 1 and 2. The arm 45 is simulv taneously moved upwardlyinto the path of. the labeled articles, to be operated by the nextcontainer, after the label has been removed from the paste containersand applied thereto. Stops 4l (Figure 1) are provided for limiting theupward movement of the paste containers. As a means of adjustment tobalance the apparatus under varying conditions, I provide a turnbuckle48 between the coil springs 46.

The objection to lifting more than one label at a time is overcome bymoving the paste containers away from the label stack in an arc. Thesupporting frame for the paste containers is pivoted sufliciently abovethe top of the label stack to cause the containers to swing outwardly asthey sta-rt to swing upwardly away from the stack of labels. The toplabel adhering to the paste containers, is accordingly slid forwardslightly relative to the adjacent label therebeneath as shown in Figure5 and its forward end is-raised tween the two sheets. In order tofurther facilitate the separation of the uppermost sheet from theadjacent sheet therebeneath, I provide the inner faces of the labelguides 49 and particularlythe front one, with roughened or file-likesurfaces 50. As the top label is moved forward and upward, its frontedge engages and is dragged over the rcughened surface of the frontguide as shown in Figure 5, thereby insuring its separation from thenext and adjacent label.

Figures 2 and 3 best show the means employed by applicant forautomatically releasing one unlabeled can at a time, to permit itsmovement into label applying position. An arm 5I is secured to the shaft4I adjacent the arm 45. It is connected through a rod 52, to thevertical arm 53 of an angled member which is pivotally connected as at54 to a supporting bracket 55 A rst, thereby breaking the vacuum createdbe- '530 rod 56 is pivotally connected as at 51 to the hori=y zontal arm58 of the angle member and extends upwardly through a sleeve 59 into thepath of the unlabeled containers for normally restraining them frommoving down the inclined track into label applying position. number ofsuch unlabeled cans in dotted lines. When the arm I5 is depressed as bythe passing of a labeled article over its extended end, it will be clearfrom the foregoing description now the rod 56 is retracted and anunlabeled con-'- Figure 3 shows a? simultaneously retracted to releasean unlabeled" article for rolling movement into label applying position.After the labeled article has passed over the extended end of the arm 45the paste containers are moved upwardly by the spring members 46 andlift the uppermost label by its ends, which adhere to the bottom of saidpaste containers. At the same time the pin 56 is moved upwardly toprevent more than the one unlabeled article from moving into labelapplying position and the arm 45 is raised to normal position. The labelis pulled from the undersides of the paste containers by grasping itsforward edge and is turned over upon the surface of the unlabeledarticle which is then rolled down the track and over the arm 45 forreleasing the next unlabeled article and picking up a label to beapplied thereto in the manner described.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a movably supportedcontainer for adhesive matter, the bottom thereof being adapted to allowsaid matter to ooze therethrough, means for supporting labels in stackedform, 'said container being adapted to move down upon the top label toapply said adhesive matter thereto and to lift said label from the stackfor application upon an article, conveying means for the articles, andoperating connections between said conveying means and said containerwhich are adapted to be acted upon during the movement of an article foreiecting the operation of said container.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a movably supportedcontainer for adhesive matter, the bottom thereof being adapted to allowsaid matter to ooze therethrough, means for supporting labels in stackedform, said container being movable down upon the top label to apply saidadhesive matter thereto and to lift said label from the stack, wherebyit can be manually removed from said container and applied to anarticle, means forming a supporting runway for moving articles into andout of label applying position, and means supported in the path of thearticles which is adapted to be acted upon by an article for operatingsaid container.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a movably supportedcontainer for adhesive matter, the bottom thereof being adapted to allowsaid matter to ooze therethrough, means for supporting labels in stackedform, said container being movable down upon the top label to apply saidadhesive matter thereto and up to lift said label from the stack to aposition convenient to the article to be labeled, means for directingthe articles into and out of label applying position, and means adaptedto be operated during the movement of an article away from labelapplying position for actuating said container.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a movably supportedcontainer for adhesive matter, the bottom thereof being adapted to allowsaid matter to ooze therethrough, means for supporting labels in stackedform, said container being movable down upon the top label to apply saidadhesive matter thereto and up to lift said label from the stack,whereupon it can be manually removed from said container and applied toan article, means forming a supporting runway for moving articles intoand out of label applying position, and means operable upon the movementof an article away from label applying position for operating said pastecontainer to pick up another label and simultaneously-release anotherarticle for movement into label applying position.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stacked form, spaced paste containers supported for simul-'taneous movement toward and away from said label stack with meansformed in their label engaging sides for permitting paste to oozetherethrough, said containers being movable` down upon the marginaledges of the top label to apply paste thereto and upwardly to lift saidlabel from l the stack by its edges, whereby it can be manually removedfrom said container and applied to an 5.5 article, means forming asupporting runway for the articles, and means supported in the path ofsaid articles which is adapted 'to be acted Lupon by one of saidarticles for causing the operation of said paste container. v

6. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stacked form, spaced paste containers supported forsimultaneous movement toward and away from vsaid label stack with meansformed in their label en- 515 gaging sides for permitting paste to oozetherethrough, said containers being movable down upon the marginal edgesof the top label to apply paste thereto and upwardly to lift said labelfrom the stack by its edges, whereby lit can beil20 manually removedfrom said container and applied to an article, means forming asupporting runway for the articles, a member supported in the path ofsaid articles, and means connecting said member with said pastecontainers, where-: upon the movement of an article into engagement withsaid member causes the containers to move into engagement with the toplabel.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stacked form, anf30 arm supported for swinging movement, apaste container having a label engaging side with openings thereinthrough which paste is adapted to ooze, means yieldingly supporting saidcontainei on said arm to permit bodily movement-,2335 thereof, and meansacting on said arm to move said container onto the vuppermost label ofsaid stack for applying paste thereto, the removal of said containeroperating to lift said label.

8. In an apparatus of the character describedgo means for supportinglabels` in stacked form, an arm supported for swinging movement, a pastecontainer carried by said arm and having a label engaging sideV withopenings therein through which paste is adapted to ooZe, means formingag,- supporting runway for the articles to be labeled,

a member supported in the path of the articles, and operatingconnections from said member to said arm, said member being adapted tobe acted upon by an article for causing the movement of@50 the pastecontainer onto the top label of said' stack.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in vstacked form, an arm supported for swinging movement, apaste,` container carried by said arm and having a label engaging sidewith openings therein through which paste is adapted to ooze, said'Vcontainer being movable down upon the top label to apply paste theretoand to lift said label from the stack, 60 means forming a supportingrunway for moving articles into and out of label applying position meansresponsive to the movement of an article away from label applyingposition and effecting a movement of said paste containerl onto alabel,` 65 and means for admitting an article to label applyingposition.

, 10. In an apparatus of the character described, means ,for supportinglabels in stacked; form, a label vselecting device, means supportingsaid de-iTO vice for swinging movement toward and away from said stack,said selecting device vincluding Va pair of label engaging means foracting upon the opposite edges of the uppermost label and adapted toremove the same from the stack when 55-7'5 cio said selecting device ismoved away from the same, the swinging movement of said label selectingdevice from the label stack causing the uppermost label to be lifted inan arcuate path from engagement with the next adjacent label, whereby toeiect a separation of said labels and eliminate the possibility ofremoving more than one label at a time from the stack.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stacked form, a label selecting device supported for movementtoward and away from said label stack, and having means associatedtherewith for acting upon and removing a label from said stack forapplication upon an article, means for supporting an article in a labelapplying position, and means responsive to the movement of an articleaway from label applying position for actuating said label selectingdevice.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stack form, a label selecting device supported for movementtoward and away from said label stack and having means associatedtherewith for acting upon and removing a label from said stack forapplication upon an article, means forming a support for articles movinginto and out of label applying position, means adapted to be operatedupon the movement of an article away from label applying position foractuating said label selecting device, and means for admitting anotherarticle to label applying position.

13. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stack form, a label selecting device supported for movementtoward and away from said label stack and having means associatedtherewith for acting upon and removing the uppermost label from saidstack for application upon an article, conveying means for the articles,and means adapted to be acted upon by a moving article for actuatingsaid label selecting device.

14. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stacked form, a label selecting device supported for movementtoward and away from said label stack and having means associatedtherewith for acting upon and removing a label from said stack forapplication upon an article, conveying means for moving articles intoand out of label applying position, and means adapted to be actuatedupon by the movement of an article away from label applying position foroperating said label selecting device and causing the movement ofanother article into label applying position.

15. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stack form, a label selecting device, means for supportingsaid device for swinging movement toward and away from said label stack,said selecting device including a pair of adhesive applying labelengaging surfaces positioned a fixed distance apart for acting upon themarginal edges of a label to lift the same when said selecting device isremoving from the label stack, the swinging movement of said selectingdevice from the stack causing the uppermost label to be lifted in anarcuate path from engagement with the next adjacent label, whereby toeffect a separation of said labels and eliminate the possibility ofremoving more than one label at a time from the stack.

16. A label selecting device comprising a member having a label engagingsurface with means associated therewith for causing the adherence of alabel thereto, a swinging support for said member, means for yieldinglymounting said member on its support for bodily rotative movement withrespect thereto, means for supporting labels in stack form, and meansfor acting on said swinging support for causing the movement of saidlabel engaging surface onto the Y uppermost label, the yieldability oisaid yieldably mounted member acting to ensure the complete engagementof the label engaging surfaces with said label.

17. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair of containers foradhesive matter, the bottoms thereof being adapted to allow said matterto ooze therethrough, means for supporting labels in stacked form, andmeans for supporting said containers for movement downuponthe edges ofthe top label to apply said adhesive matter thereto and to lift saidlabel by its edges in an arcuate path from engagement with the adjacentlabel therebeneath.

18. In an apparatus of the character referred to, supporting means, apair of paste containers, means for yieldably mounting said containerson said supporting means to permit bodily movement relative thereto, thebottoms of -said containers being provided with small orifices to permitsaid adhesive matter to ooze therethrough to the label engaging surfacesthereof, means for supporting labels in position to receive saidcontainers thereupon for applying adhesive matter thereto, saidsupporting means including means for causing said containers to lift theuppermost label in an arcuate path lfrom engagement with the adjacentlabel therebeneath.

19. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stacked form, a

paste container, means for supporting said container for swingingmovement toward and away from said stack of labels about a xed pivot,said paste container having means formed in its label engaging side forpermitting paste to ooze therethrough onto its label engaging surface, apaste reservoir with means associated therewith for controlling theadmittance of paste to said paste container, and means for moving saidcontainer into engagement with the uppermost label which adheres to thelabel engaging surface, said label being lifted in an arcuate path fromengagement with the adjacent label therebeneath when the paste containeris swung away from the label stack.

20. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stacked form, a paste container, means for supporting saidcontainer for swinging movement toward and away from said stack oflabels about a fixed pivot, saidV paste container having means formed inits label engaging side for permitting paste to ooze therethrough ontoits label engaging surface, and means for moving said container intoengagement with the uppermost label which adheres to the label engagingsurface, whereupon the swinging movement of the container away from saidstack and about its pivot lifts the uppermost label in an arcuate pathfrom engagement with the adjacent label therebeneath.

21. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stacked form, a pair of members positioned in spacedrelationship a fixed distance apart, means for supporting said membersfor movement toward and away from said label supporting means, saidmeans including adhesive surfaces for movement onto the marginal edgesof the labels, means for moving said members toward the top label ofsaid stack, said label being removed from said stack in a lateraldirection by engagement with said surfaces and by movement of saidmember supporting means away from said label supporting means.

22. In an apparatus of the character described, means for supportinglabels in stacked form, a label selecting device, means supporting saiddevice for. movement about a pivot disposed to one side of a planeincluding the outermost label of said stack, said selecting deviceincluding label engaging means adapted for action upon said outermostlabel to lift it in an arcuate path about said pivot.

PAUL ARNDT.

